I have owned these figures for decades and they are still my favourite orc figures for non Lord of the Rings games, really bestial almost dog like faces but in quasi classical armour. They have finally been dragooned into action as Lord Vassago's Vile Rune Orcs
I always imagined these orcs should be blue (which I think is the colour they were painted on the original Ral Partha orc war machine box set).
The skull topped standards also have little discs on showing the White Hand and Red Eye, as many orc figures did in the 70's and 80's (quite rightly too, non of this Gork and Mork nonsense)
Painted almost entirely with washes, GW Teclis blue washed with Windsor and Newton cobalt ink and then again with GW Drakenhof Nightshade. The armour was done with Vallejo bronze and GW Badab black.
The shields, bearing the Vile Rune (nicked from Runequest). I have used this Horned God rune on all my chaos marauder shields too (must post them up one day). As always, the bases will be finished en masse at the end of the project (the end is in sight for Lord Vassagos army at least, only 30 wargs to paint!!)
An intimidating looking bunch - love the blue skin.
ReplyDeleteInteresting too - not heard of the Vile Rune Orcs outside of Orc's Drift, which obviously came later!
I was getting into Call of Cthulhu and ECW stuff when Orc's Drift was released so didn't get it then. Interesting how these threads carry o down through the Warhammer imagined world.
DeleteGreat work and some beautifully painted figures!
ReplyDeleteThanks your Dukeship.
DeleteWow, really nice, Springinsfeld! Nothing like seeing a Phalanx/shieldwall of classic Orcs!
ReplyDeleteThanks Private, I do like the low crouching poses that form the shieldwall.
DeleteFantastic regiment of Orcs.
ReplyDeleteI like the blue, it really works on the Ral Partha Orcs, and gives them an artwork feel.
The shields are very effective too. Great job.
Cheers, nice to paint orcs funny colours. If you mean an airbrushy Rodney Matthews feel, that's what I wanted!
DeleteYes, that's exactly right.
DeleteI have Rodney Matthews artbook 'In search of Forever', and these Orcs brought his artwork to mind.
Excellent painting :)
They look incredible! Very much looking forward to viewing your other work too.
ReplyDeleteCheers Gareth, I will lay out the Chaos stuff and take some shots soon. There are a few repairs that need to be made.
DeleteThese look great! I have a bunch sitting in a shoe box somewhere I used for merp but never painted, interesting that I see them as LoTR but you are quite the opposite....
ReplyDeleteAnyway nice to have you posting again, with just these I can see you have been busy. look forward to more
Thanks Erny, you must get yours done soon. Everyone has there own idea of LOTR orcs and to me these are too bestial and dog like for Middle Earth, but they do follow the description of being hunched with long arms. Perhaps the armour is a bit too neat and tidy for me. My ideal orc figures are the old Heritage ones based on the cartoon film.... and also the Black Tree Legions of the Realm Uruks that have very Ian Miller style armour, both sorts match my first exposure to LOTR images via the old film (which I still love) and Millers paintings in the Tolkien Bestiary.
DeleteYep love those orcs too, have the black tree ones in the same shoe box. I remember using all of them unpainted with the Ral Patha orcs against unpainted foundry celts. Back then I could ignore unpainted soldiers. The orcs smashed the hill men as I remeber.
DeleteBlue orcs? You learn something every day! Well, I do...
ReplyDeleteAh Doctor. Well Tolkien says they are as black as charred wood, Games Workshop says they are green but to me they are red or blue....the wonders of the imagination.
ReplyDelete